18 January 2010
Psalm 25; Gen. 8:1-22; Heb. 4:14-5:6; John 2:23-3:15

The rains end and the flood waters abate. There are parallels with creation in this passage. For a season of time there was no real separation between the heavens and the earth, only a chaotic rainy environment, and in the ending of the rains comes the renewed separation of the waters above and the waters below. For a season there is also water covering the earth again and as Noah sends out the birds we see the waters rolling back to their boundaries set in creation. As the olive tree has clearly appeared when the dove returns with the leaf, so now we know plants are again thriving and then come the animals and humans out of the ark again, back to creation day 6. There is a difference, however, the perfection of day 6 is no more, the Lord acknowledges that He isn’t starting with pristine humanity, “‘I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, for the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth…” There is a mercy in this reality.

Nicodemus comes to sort out who Jesus is, what claims He makes for Himself and what should they expect from Him. He begins by acknowledging Jesus as a teacher come from God and then Jesus takes over the conversation. However Nicodemus thought it would go, whatever he had rehearsed, it didn’t go according to plan. The idea of being born again or being born from above is confusing to him and Jesus is unrelenting. In that Genesis passage we see that the first birth, even if it is closely followed by circumcision to bring you into covenant, still carries with it a defect. Jesus is saying that you need to be born again, to cure the defect, to make you a child of God. Nicodemus, however, is unable to rise above earthly things in his thoughts to understand Jesus’ words. That ascension of the heart requires the Holy Spirit. The response of the woman at the well, to desire what Jesus offers, is the right response, the one that receives His offer.

Jesus is the one who is born from above, and his life here on earth was one without sin. The writer makes plain that earthly priests are not sinless, they must offer sacrifices for their own sins, but Jesus has no need of such sacrifices, but that His perfection did not make Him either proud or presumptuous. He did not presume to the throne but waited until the Father called Him. Waiting is a hard thing for us to do, we have desires within us that seek attention and place and yet we are called to wait as Noah did, for the call of the Lord to come out of the ark or to take our place in the work of the kingdom.

Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!